I bolt upright in bed, heart pounding. The room's still dark, but I can see the first hints of dawn creeping through the window. Sleep's a lost cause at this point. My mind won't shut up, replaying everything that's happened over and over again. The attack, my weird bird-thing transformation, Liam showing up out of nowhere, and now our moonstone's gone. It's too much.
Groaning, I drag myself out of bed. Every muscle aches like I've run a marathon. Guess turning into a giant bird takes more out of you than I thought. I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror and do a double-take. For a second, I could've sworn I saw feathers under my skin. I blink hard, and they're gone. Great, now I'm seeing things.
A knock at the door makes me jump. "Skye? We need to talk." Jake. He sounds worried.
I take a deep breath. "Come in."
Jake steps in, his eyes scanning me like he's looking for leftover feathers or something. "How're you holding up?"
"Like death warmed over," I say, trying for a smile. "But I'll live. What's going on?"
Jake's face gets all serious. "It's bad. Everyone's freaking out about your... change. And Liam being back. Plus, with the moonstone gone..." He trails off, but I get it. We're in deep shit.
I nod, feeling the weight of being Alpha settle on my shoulders again. "Okay. Call everyone together. Time to face the music."
After Jake leaves, I try shifting into my wolf form. It hurts, like my bones don't want to cooperate. When it's over, something feels off. I shift back fast, trying not to panic.
In the meeting hall, you could cut the tension with a knife. Everyone's staring at me like I've grown a second head. Liam's lurking in the corner, and I'm not sure if that makes me feel better or worse.
I clear my throat. "Alright, I know you've all got questions. I'll do my best to answer them."
"What are you?" Sarah blurts out. She's one of our youngest. "Are you even still... one of us?"
Ouch. I keep my face neutral, but that stings. "I'm still your Alpha. Still a werewolf. Yeah, something's changed, and I don't get it either. But I swear, I'm still me. Still part of this pack."
"What about him?" someone else calls out, nodding at Liam. "Why's he back now?"
I glance at Liam. His jaw's clenched tight. "Liam's our new enforcer. We need his skills, especially now."
The room erupts in whispers. I can practically smell their doubt.
Jake steps up, bless him. "We need to talk about the moonstone. Without it, we're vulnerable."
I nod, grateful for the change of subject. "Getting it back is top priority. I'm putting together a team. Any takers?"
A few hands go up, but not many. Great.
That's when I feel it - heat racing through my body. Oh no. Not now. I grit my teeth, trying to fight off the change.
"Skye?" Jake sounds far away. "You okay?"
I try to answer, but all that comes out is a pained noise. My vision goes fuzzy, and I feel my bones starting to shift. Everyone starts freaking out as feathers sprout along my arms.
"Back off!" Liam shouts, suddenly right next to me. His hand's on my shoulder. "Skye, focus. You can control this."
I look at him, and for a second, it's like we're kids again, before everything went sideways. I hold onto that feeling, forcing the change back. I'm panting like I've run a mile.
The room's dead quiet. When I look up, all I see is fear. Fear of me.
"I..." My voice cracks. I swallow hard. "I'm sorry. I'm still figuring this out. But I promise, I'll get it under control. For all of us."
Some people nod, but most look like they don't buy it. I've never felt so alone.
"Maybe," someone calls out, "we need new leadership. Until this gets sorted out."
It feels like I've been punched in the gut. I try to see who said it, but everything's a blur.
"That's enough," Liam growls, stepping in front of me. "Skye's your Alpha. She's never let you down before."
"And we're supposed to trust you?" Sarah snaps. "You bailed on us. On her."
I see Liam tense up, ready to fight back.
"Knock it off," I say, finding my voice. "Liam's right. I am your Alpha, and I've earned your trust. Yeah, things are crazy right now. But we'll deal with it together. Anyone who's got a problem with that can leave."
For a second, no one moves. Then, slowly, people start nodding. The tension eases a bit.
"Alright," I continue, "we've got work to do. Jake, get that moonstone team together. Liam, shore up our defenses. Everyone else, stay sharp. We don't know if those other wolves will be back."
As everyone leaves, exhaustion hits me like a truck. Fighting off that change took everything I had.
"Skye," Liam says quietly, looking worried. "We need to talk. About what's happening to you, about... us."
I nod, too tired to argue. "Later. First, I need to-"
Suddenly, there's shouting outside. Screams and growls coming from where everyone lives.
Jake runs back in, looking scared out of his mind. "Skye! It's Sarah - she's changing!"
"Changing?" I repeat, not getting it. "Into what?"
"Not what," Jake says, looking grim. "When. She's getting old. Fast. I think... I think that curse thing's starting."
My blood runs cold. The curse that's supposed to turn us human - it's happening already.
As I run towards the screaming, my head's spinning. How am I supposed to protect everyone from something I don't even understand? How can I be Alpha when I can't even control my own body?
I turn the corner and stop dead. Where Sarah should be, there's this old lady, her eyes all cloudy.
And behind her, stepping out of the shadows, is someone I thought we'd dealt with. The witch who offered to break my bond with Liam.
She smiles, looking all evil. "Hello, Alpha. Ready for your pack to see what you really are?"
Before I can do anything, she raises her hand. Pain explodes in my head, and I feel my body start to change again. But this time, it's different. This time, it feels like I'm being torn apart.
As everything goes dark, all I can think is: What have I done to my pack?